Madness? THIS IS SPARTA!
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Something's wrong with this chapter. It doesn't allow me to add a dedication. So, here it goes:
This chapter is dedicated to: 1me2me3me
Kevin watched the monitor until he saw Duke emerging out of the wardrobe and sliding the back panel back. I knew it, he thought, There is a hidden door there.
He quickly opened the drawer next to the bed and took a couple of A4-size papers and what seemed like a piece of a wet bagel. He held the bagel and used it to write something in the papers. However, no stains appeared. When he was done writing, he put the papers under his pillow and the bagel back in the drawer.
While waiting, Kevin grimaced when a moderate pain in his stomach started. He put his hand on it. The pain was clearly getting less intense, but it got him thinking about his health condition.
Why am I so tired lately? I don't think it's solely the effects of the drugs. What if something else's wrong with me. I never suffered such a weak stomach before that made me barf so easily.
"Ugh. I hope it's not an infection," He mumbled to himself while pulling his T-shirt up, "That would be an awesome addition to my list of bad luck."
Then he slowly partially removed the large bandage covering almost half of his stomach and his right side. A 12-inch long diagonal incision from his right side all across to the lower abdomen was revealed. There was also the stab wound right beneath it to the right.
The stitches, however, seemed to be healing nicely. They were a bit tight, reddish, and swollen, but that was normal at day 6 post- surgery.
Without notice, Kevin was startled when he heard the door unlocking. He didn't hear or see Duke on the monitor. Who could it be? He froze and just stared at the door as his heart beats elevated. Conflict feelings of hope and fear resided in him. The door opened and it was Duke who came in, smelling like cigarette smoke. Kevin's shoulders tensed down disappointedly. It's just him, he thought.
Then he quickly placed the bandage back and lowered his T-shirt.
Duke saw Kevin's sudden move. He asked, "What were you doing?" while he was closing and locking the door.
Instead of answering, Kevin asked, "How did you get here?"
Duke stayed still and raised an eyebrow, "Whada ya mean?"
Kevin explained, "I didn't see you come back through the monitor. How did you get here?"
Duke looked at the monitor and mouthed, "Fuck," when he realized he forgot to switch it off. Then he faced Kevin, smirked and said, "Ah, what the hell. I'll tell you. It's not like you can get out of here anyway. Have you ever wondered how I brought that guy from last night here completely unnoticed?"
Kevin's eyes widened, "Through that vault door under the stairs, isn't it?"
"Bingo," said Duke. Then he walked slowly towards the bed and spoke, "A friend of mine helped me cover up for my mistake of kidnapping you from the dorms and raising police suspicions." He reached the bed and proudly said, "So, in order to lose them, he kidnapped a guy way from the other side of the town, while I was kicking your friend's ass."
Kevin glared at Duke and raised his voice, "You told me he was fine!"
"You should've known by now that fine by my standards means alive," he briefly laughed.
Kevin scoffed and turned his head away.
Duke suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Were the stitches bothering you lately?" worry written all over his face. He then proceeded to sit on the edge of the bed.
Kevin crosses his legs away from Duke and resentfully replied, "It's nothin'."
Duke asked, "You thought they were infected, right?"
That question made Kevin turn his gaze back to Duke. Duke's cheeks turned slightly red and a nervous little frown formed on his face once he got this close to Kevin and they made eye contact. He started hand-wringing and then avoided eye contact with Kevin. The latter, on the other hand, was calm. Tired and annoyed, but calm.
Kevin replied, "Yeah."
Duke released an assuring chuckle and said, "Don't worry. You don't have an infection. I'm that good. Plus, it usually starts with a fever. And..."
He looked back at Kevin and timidly put his hand on his forehead.
Kevin calmly closed his eyes and allowed Duke to check his fever. He usually hates it when Duke made any skin contact with him. This time, he didn't mind. Mainly because Kevin was concerned about his own health and curious to see if he had a fever or not. Also, because he saw Duke's hand slowly moving to his forehead like he was asking his permission to touch it. Surprisingly, his touch was warm and gentle.
Even though he refused to admit it, Kevin slightly got used to having Duke around. He has been living in his place for almost a week now. He was bound to adapt after all their time together.
Duke's heart rate escalated when he touched Kevin and observed the serenity on his face. It cheered him up the fact that he wasn't bothered by his touch and that he trusted him enough to close his eyes.
He continued, "You don't have a fever. You're just a bit cold." Then he removed his hand and looked away again.
Kevin opened his eyes and noticed Duke's odd behavior. He smirked when he remembered that Duke might have feelings for him now after that kiss. It wasn't planned, but it happened. It was so obvious and pathetic, he thought. It made him feel safer, but also evil. He never manipulated someone's emotions before. He knew this could backfire on him if things didn't go as planned, but for now, it seemed like an advantage.
Duke continued explaining things to Kevin without making eye contact, "I'm guessing you're experiencing some discomfort in the stitches by now. It's because they're tightening up these days. So, it's no surprise that they'll hurt. It only means they're healing."
"The pain is not what I'm worried about. I'm used to it by now," Kevin responded while amusingly examining Duke's reactions.
Duke was clearly acting extra careful, more caring, and nicer towards him now. A thought deep inside Kevin's mind was saying, Wow. If I knew that that kiss would make him this vulnerable, I would've done it sooner. He looks so weak and stupid. Kevin bit his bottom lip to suppress a giggle.
Duke resumed his talk, "Oh. So, you must be worried about what's causing all that insomnia, sweating, and vomiting you're experiencing lately. Nah, it's normal. Anyone in your situation would be scared shit."
"I'm not scared!" Kevin snarled.
Duke began to feel less tense. Maybe the casual flow of the conversation eased things up for him. He looked at Kevin and said, "What I meant was, that's just anxiety taking over your body."
"Anxiety!" Kevin raised an eyebrow, "I never thought anxiety ever gets this bad."
"Believe me, it does," Duke shook his head. Then he added "By the way. it's a bad idea sleeping on your stomach. You may be tempted to sleep like that to reduce the pain or nausea that you were feeling, but the truth is it doesn't. It could affect the stitches' healing process too."
Kevin questioned Duke, "How do you know all this?" Then he narrowed his eyes and said, "You're a doctor, aren't you?"
Duke snorted, "A doctor?" Then he laughed softly and said, "No. I just read, watch some videos, and practice medicine on my own." Then he proudly raised his index finger and continued, "With my own rules as you can see from this place." He swirled his finger pointing to the whole place in the basement.
Then he raised his voice bragging, "I mostly read about new torture techniques. More importantly, about..."
"How to keep the victim alive as possible," Kevin finished Duke's sentence with a nauseous look on his face.
Duke laughed softly while saying, "Boy, you know me too well." He raised his hand an inch from above his knee to pat Kevin on the knee, but he quickly disregarded the idea, placed his hand back and told himself, Nah. Too soon.
He looked away then that other voice in his head told him: 'WHAT the fuck are you doing? This isn't you. You always get what you want. You always go for it and never give a shit about any damn thing but yourself. So, go for it.'
He looked back at Kevin and seemed to have worn his old personality mask again. He grinned at him and proudly said, "I think today's bonding is going better than expected. Who knows," he shrugged his shoulders, "maybe by the end of the day, I'll touch second base with you." He said it while checking Kevin out.
Kevin tilted his head back in confusion and said, "What?" with his brows clasped together.
The fast change in Duke's personality surprised him. He was just timid a second ago. Kevin was also mostly alarmed by the words that came out of Duke's mouth just now. Is he serious?
"I'm not kidding this time," said Duke. "Things are going swell between us," he patted Kevin's thigh then winked at him while saying, "Don't ya think?"
Kevin twitched once Duke placed his hand on his thigh. He stared at it right after Duke winked at him. His shoulders stiffed, afraid that Duke was about to make a move on him next. He had an uncomfortable feeling about where this conversation was going. Conflicting thoughts about that kiss were disturbing him. Maybe he made a huge mistake kissing Duke. Maybe that gave Duke other ideas. No, he's sure now that it did give him other sick ideas. He didn't want to upset him, though. He knows what happens when he gets upset. Nonetheless, he had to put a stop to these unwanted sexual advances.
Duke removed his hand and Kevin was able to let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He finally had the courage to roll his eyes on Duke and say, "Man. You're crazier than I thought."
Then he firmly told him, "We just kissed. Us never happened. It never will." Next, he lowered his head quickly and gazed at his shaky hands behind the sheets to avoid seeing Duke's reaction to his response, and quietly asked, "Can we get back to business now, please?"
'Good job, Duke. Now you scared him. Again!' The old voice in his head came back to torment him. 'He thinks you're gonna try and rape him. Again!'
Duke felt regret about the way he treated the kid. He looked down and sighed. It bugged him that the feeling he now has for him was not mutual. It was worse knowing that Kevin probably won't even have any feelings towards him other than hate.
After a period of silence, Kevin glanced at Duke and noticed that he looked like an abandoned puppy.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"Kevin. I know kidnapping you was wrong. I..." he looked around and inhaled like words couldn't find their way out of his throat. Then he looked at Kevin and said, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I made a mistake, and I'm trying to fix it." He tilted his head and asked, "You know what I'm saying?"
Kevin was completely baffled by the fact that Duke actually developed a guilty conscious. He stuttered, "I... No, I... I don't know." Then he shrugged his shoulders, worn a sad smile and pled one more time, "It's an easy fix. Just let me go. I won't tell anybody anything. I promise."
Duke laughed sarcastically then he lashed out at Kevin with crazy eyes and pointing his finger at him, "You and I both know that the minute you're out of here you're gonna go straight to the cops and give them a full report of this place, me, and the victims!"
Kevin slightly backed away and his muscles tensed in a defensive mode.
Duke calmed down and said, "Don't get me wrong. I know I said that I like you, but I don't trust you not to talk."
He got up, "Anyway," he said while wearing some leather gloves he found inside his jacket to hide his fingerprints. Then he grabbed a paper from the drawer of his desk with a pen attached to it and continued, "Let's get back to business." Then he handed them over to Kevin, "Here. You said you wanted to write a letter."
When Kevin grabbed the paper, Duke didn't let go. Kevin stared back at Duke and felt pain in his stomach gradually increasing with each breath he took when he saw the serious expression on his face.
"Remember," said Duke, "I don't like to be fooled."
Alright. So, we're starting to get some answers :)
How does the wet bagel work?
And, it looks like Duke has friends as twisted as him :/
Also, the voices made a comeback :p
And, is it really Anxiety that Kevin is experiencing?
Last but not least: Do you think Kevin is turning kinda turning evil?